Improving meat colour and oxidative stability by antioxidant supplementation of light weight lamb diets

Meat quality, as defined by its colour stability is the main sensory attribute of lamb meat that drives consumer preference and purchase decision. The ‘bright red’ colour in meat, perceived by consumers as an indicator of freshness and superior product quality, can be further enhanced by highly oxidizing packaging methods. Overtime, these packaging methods also accelerate the deterioration of colour, flavour and texture. To delay that, meat processors and retailers have adopted the use of antioxidants into animal diets. Based on the work described in this thesis, under similar experimental conditions, it was found that vitamin E is more effective than plant extracts at maintaining the colour stability of lamb meat.